


Those Quiet Days

by ShadowBlueHusky



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader is mute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-09-05 02:45:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16802146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowBlueHusky/pseuds/ShadowBlueHusky
Summary: You've been mute for eight years since the accident happened and just trying to get back on track with living your life while working at a pet shop. Your ex still bothers you and to top it off, monsters have appeared from under Mount Ebott. You've been having strange dreams for a while that your friend says means something deep, but you weren't sure until you ment a certain monster. Now you're just trying to have it all make sense.This story is one that I've worked on for a while, but I'm not sure how it'll be greeted. Hope to see it to the end. First time trying to do a multi-chapter story.(( 15 Febuary 2019: the story is currently on HIATUS! Check chapter 10/Author's Note for more info!! ))





	1. Chapter 1: Monsters are here?

_You watched the wooden ball as it flew through the air, hitting the bottles at the stand that you were at and making them trip over. Your eyebrows raised, sure you had caught a glimpse of something, turning your head to the figure besides you and narrowing your eyes. The sound of a carnival was all around you, children laughing and calling to their parents, hushed voices of couples going to the stands to check out the prizes, as well as the owners of the games calling out to get people's attention. The air was filled with joy and laughter, an easy aurora in the place, but no matter what was going on, you only had eyes on the figure who you knew was giving you an innocent look... But they were cast in darkness, no features visible, as a voice came from them._

“ _What? Ya' looking at me like I did something.” Their voice seemed off, echoed in you head, and you knew it wasn't this person's real voice. But no matter what, you couldn't for the life of you know what their voice actually was._

_You couldn't fill that hole in the dream after all._

“ _I saw that...” You said in a bit of a whisper, your eyes narrowing slightly as they chuckled. “You're not being fair.” You added as they held you closer. You could feel the fabric of whatever they were wearing on your waist, but still, you couldn't make out anything about them. You really, really wished you could._

“ _Come on sweetheart, these things are rigged anyway... Just making sure ya have a great time.” They told you, and damn it but it made your heart melt with warmth. You rolled your eyes a bit and took the second ball, throwing it as well. Just like before, you saw a glimpse of something... But you couldn't tell what it was. The dream blacked out enough that you just saw that the bottles were once more tipped over while the game owner – looking rather puzzled and nervous at this point – told you that if you hit like that once more, you'd win any prize you'd want._

“ _Ya got this doll.” Your date told you, making you roll your eyes as you threw the last ball, not even bothering to look once you knew it was flying the right way and instead looking at the shadow besides you as the man behind the booth told you – trying to hide his surprise – that you'd won._

“ _Still. Not. Fair.”_

_They shrugged at you, making you roll your eyes once more before looking at the plush toys that was lining the wall, thinking of what you wanted. You smiled once you noticed it, without hesitation pointing to a white plush dog that looked so soft you couldn't resist it. Once you'd gotten the price your date chuckled again, pointing to the plush as you walked hand in hand. You couldn't feel their hand at all._

“ _You know... My bro is more than likely gonna be glaring that thing to pieces...”_

_You raised an eyebrow at that. “What, he doesn't like dogs?” You asked, surprised._

“ _Nah, nothing like that... It just... Looks like a dog that used to be around when-” you didn't hear the rest of what they said, as a static surrounded the voice that usually accompanied the darkness, but the you in the dream kept on going like they could hear it, raising their eyebrows._

“ _Really now... I have to hear that from him before I believe it you know.”_

_They laughed, the sound making you feel warm inside once more, as the two of you walked on towards the ferris wheel that was standing in the middle of the place, smiling to each other and..._

You woke up by the sound of the alarm going off, telling you that snooze time was over, and you turned it off with a groan. Sitting up in bed, the only sounds around you were the cars outside and the loud neighbouring couple who was once more arguing about something. Nothing new there. Reaching into the drawer on your bedside table after turning on the lamp, you quickly opened the notebook in there to the last new page and scribbled down the date before writing out the dream in as much detail as someone could when they'd just woken up.

You'd been having these sort of dreams a lot lately. Well, more specifically, over the last three months or so. You don't know exactly what had caused them, but seeing that you never could keep remembering them once you got on with your day, you had started keeping a dream journal. It made it easier to try and see if there was a connection to all of these strange dreams, but so far there was little to back that up.

There was only two things in common: the blacked out figure with the... Well, censored voice. At least you were pretty sure it wasn't the right voice for the figure. That, as well as the warm feeling in the middle of your chest when you either were in the dream, or reading over what you'd written down, like right now.

Stashing the notebook away once more, you deemed that you'd look over it all again later.

Picked out a pair of jeans and the shirt you needed to wear for work, you quickly headed to the bathroom to take a shower. You really wished you knew what the dreams were about. There was some silly people who thought you could dream of the one that would turn out to be your soulmate, but you weren't sure. You had your believes sure, but it just seemed too... Odd.

Once you were done showering and got dressed you turned to the main room, putting the TV on only as background noise. It was better than listening to the two next door bitching at each other. There was some sort of news going on right now, but you didn't really care about it. Something political. Not something you followed too carefully. Heading to the kitchen, it didn't take you long to make two pieces of toast to enjoy while trying to make sense of the show that had started now instead of the news. Some sort of comedy show? Once more, not really something you sat down and enjoyed. Once you were done eating and had let yourself down a glass of water, you got your purse with your phone and wallet, heading out the door.

It didn't take you long to walk to the pet shop where you worked. You always had a soft spot for the little critters, even if you weren't sure if you should ever own one yourself. Seeing them here in the shop was one thing, owning one was another entirely.

You waved to Kate who was behind the counter at the moment, speaking to a customer who was looking through their bag, before heading to the back to put away your things in the locker and then head back out and checking the feeding schedule. The rodents needed new food daily, but there was the more exotic ones like the lizards, snakes and tarantulas that needed food only once in a while. And, looking over the different ones, you had a feeling you knew exactly what you'd be doing even before Kate came over to you.

“Heya girl... Uh, hope you don't mind, but no matter what anyone says? I'm _not_ feeding the eight-legged nightmares...” She said, shuddering and gesturing back to the tanks with the spiders in question. You giggled and gave her a thumbs up, letting her know it was okay and she looked relieved.

“Thanks, you're a lifesaver... Oh, if you want to the fish needs feeding as well, you remember how much right?” You nodded. “Cool, I need to grab a few things from storage anyway, so I'll be back in just a second.” She said, hurrying out after she had glanced back to the so called 'nightmares' that was in the tank.

Giggling to yourself, you walked over there after grabbing the crickets you used to feed them. You didn't really _like_ spiders, but they were just misunderstood, so you could relate in a way. Besides, as long as they were nice, you'd be nice. They were more interested in the crickets anyway you thought, watching as one of the larger ones caught the poor insect just as soon as it had hit the ground in the tank. You didn't like bugs as much as other animals, but they were still living creatures. Nature's law was a thing tho, so there was no reason to dwell on that matter.

Turning around, you let out a hoarse surprised sound as you were face-to-face with... a giant fish woman? It was the best you could describe her as you thought, seeing her blue scales, the fins at her side as well as the sharp teeth in her mouth as she smirked watching... Oh, she was bended down and watching the cricket as it was being pulled back to the little den the spider had made. How had you missed the sound of the bell over the door?!

“That was COOL!” She let out, standing back up... Oh, she was a good head and some taller than you. You only reached to about her chest, so you had to look back to look her in the... Eye. She was wearing an eyepatch.

Monsters had been on the surface for about a year now, if you remembered correctly, and while there was a lot of people who still wasn't sure about the monsters – they all looked so different, some humans thinking they shouldn't even be up here in the first place – but they had quickly been allowed to the cities even if there was still discussions about laws going on between politicians and the monster monarchs. You hadn't really been following along very well, so you weren't sure how all of that was going, and there hadn't been any monsters around where you lived... At least you had thought so. It seemed like it wasn't the case.

Taking a deep breath, you smiled at the fish monster and started signing to see if she'd understand.

'I suppose it's something else. Can I help you with something?' 

Your hands had been shaking a bit, but you hoped you'd gotten the message over clearly.

The woman looked at your hands for a few moments, worry starting to set in your stomach that maybe she didn't know sign language, before a grin spread over her face.

“Geeze nerd, I'm not gonna eat ya! There's no need to shake like that!”

Oh good, she understood you.

“I just came here for some fish food, ran out of it at home.” She said, looking over to the isle with the containers, before looking back to you. “But when I saw ya feeling these things?” She gestured to the tarantulas. “I just HAD 'ta come over and watch!”

You giggled silently at the way she was expressing herself, she was such an outgoing character.

'I guess it's not everyday you get to see tarantulas eat. They don't eat that much after all'  You signed to her, your hands more steady this time.

“Ya got that right punk!”

... Punk?

“Anyhow, I uh... Also was thinking of adding a new fish to my tank back home... I've got a few different ones, but it's missing... SOMETHING! Ya know?”

Oh, now you were in your element. You peaked up and smiled wider.

'Well I can help with that! What kind do you have? Saltwater or freshwater? And what different ones do you have?' You signed before quickly closing the tank to the spider, knowing they could wait a bit longer to get their food, and followed her over to where the rest of the fish were.

“Well... I believe they're saltwater? My girlfriend said they were anyway, she's the one who got me them.” She said, and you had to bite your lip. Oh goodness, she was blushing and practically swooning thinking of her girl. That was SO cute.

“But uh... I don't know what their uh... 'Science' names are... I'm not good with nerd stuff like that. HEY! I got a image, hold on!”

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through it before finding the image, looking it over you could confirm that it was saltwater fish. And some really, really pretty ones too. Smiling wider, you stated signing to her about some of the fish you had that would go well with the ones she had, as well as telling you of a few that you could order home for her that would fit as well, but would need more care. In the end, you ended up somehow exchanging numbers with her after she asked if you'd be willing to come over and help her decide on how to rearrange things in the aquarium, leaving you standing there with wide eyes and one question in your mind.

What in the heck just happened?!


	2. Chapter 2: What best friends are for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few chapters written out already, so decided to post the second one as well! Even if I'm a nervous bean about it... Anyway, hope you enjoy!  
> Please read note at the end of the chapter!

Kate came back into the main shop about ten minutes later, looking a bit out of breath. By then, you had managed to get out of your head and finished feeding the animals, noting down who had eaten and who to keep an eye on to make sure the cricket didn't just set up a new home in the tank. You walked over to her as she was struggling a bit with the bags of dog food she'd brought back in – guess she needed to refill the shelf? - helping her getting them over there before pulling her back to the desk and getting a pen and a noteblock and starting to write down.

“Geez girl, I'm guessing someone came in while I was gone? Was he cute? Do I need to be jealous?” She asked, wiggling her brows at you. You just rolled your eyes and turned the note to her, letting her read.

'A monster came in! A fish-woman named Undyne! She wanted some new saltwater fish for her tank and asked me to help her decorate it differently!'

Kate gasped once she'd read the note over a few more times, before looking you over and putting her hand to your forehead. “Girl, you're not sick or something right? Because it sounds like to me that you _made a new friend!_ ”

You couldn't help the giggle that escaped you, even if it was broken from the fact that your vocal cords didn't want to work with you, scribbling a new message for her.

'Oh shush! I can make friends! Besides, she knew sign language, so it was easier for me to open up and 'talk' to her' Once more, your best and only friend gasped.

“No way, a new friend AND they understand the weird flailing around you do when you 'speak' as you say it is?!” God you loved this girl.

'You're clearly just jealous because I won the betting pole about who met a monster first' You wrote to her, a victorious smirk on your face. She stared at the note for a few seconds before groaning, letting her head fall back as you laughed.

“I completely forgot about that bet! I was so sure I was going to be the first one with you not speaking and- oh no... What did we bet on again?” She said, looking to you horrified. You knew she remembered well enough, but you couldn't help the big victorious grin on your face.

'If you won, I would adopt one of the cats from the nearby shelter without complains about my doubts-' you only agreed because that was the _lesser_ of the ones she'd asked you to do, the others your mind had happily shut out. '- and if I won, you would sit down and try to handle one of the more calm tarantulas.'

She paled as she got to that part of the note, looking to you with the most begging expression on her face.

“Please oh please, have mercy on me... C-can we uh... Schedule that for another day? I r-really don't want to try today... I uh... Might have been out in storage for as long as I was because of one of your so called 'friends' being there, in the middle of the room on the ground... And I might have been screaming... A bit... Or a lot...”

You laughed, deciding to be merciful this time, before planning with her that you'd both get the bet over with Monday. It would be the only other shift where you both had enough time around each other to get it done either way. And, with a small satisfied smile on your lips, you figured you could take your camera and mobile printer along as well. Because if she did this, you wanted to place the image on the board so that everyone else that knew her could see just how 'brave' she'd been.

~*~*~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

You were moving some of the mice from one cage to the other, doing your best to make it so there wasn't an overflood of mice in one and almost none in the other, when you heard the way too sweet sound of someone you hoped never to hear from again at the front desk. Oh great... Ricky was here. Your asshole of an ex that you were pretty sure you still had a restraining order on.

“Hello there Kate dear, how have you been?” His voice carried to you, making you internally gag.

“Quite fine there Rick, nothing to complain about. How 'bout you?”

“Good, good. So, where is my girl hiding out this time?”

You wanted to gag. You'd been over for eight years now, but seeing that he'd been first in the hospital and then doing community service once he'd gotten out of jail, you hadn't really had a chance to see too much of him. You had happily gotten him out of your head back then, so when he showed up one day and harassed you enough, you finally got that order on him after much nagging from Kate. So, by law, he shouldn't be here right now. And Kate knew this.

You heard her sigh as you put down the last mouse, closing the cage silently as she started to speak up once more.

“She's not your girl Rick, you're not even supposed to be here. The restraining order clearly say so: you're not to attempt to talk to her or even show up when you _know_ she's at work. So get out of here before I call the cops on you.”

“Oh come on you bitch, what's wrong with me seeing my girl?!” Great, he had been drinking again.

“Just about as much as you drinking again. Didn't you get enough the last time? Or do you need to crash into something again?”

You could just see Kate for you, giving him that scowl that send chill down anyone's spine, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping behind the counter. She always had your back like this, something you deeply appreciated.

“Urgh, whatever! Fine! Let the whore do whatever she's doing!” You could hear a few steps being taken, before she yelled again. “I know you hear me ya bitch! Hope ya never get to utter a word again with that horrible screeching that is your voice!”

You held your hands up in front of your mouth, your eyes closed as you leaned on a wall. Once you were sure he was out of the store, your legs couldn't keep your weight anymore. Slowly you slide down the wall, instantly wrapping your arms around your legs and hiding your face there, trying desperately not to cry. Why? It had been so long since he last came around here, so why had he decided to stick his head into your life just now? Did he have some weird sixth sense for when you were too happy? Was that it?

You barely heard it when Kate came up and sat down next to you, but you did feel her hand on your shoulder, turning your head to look at her. She was doing her best to send you a comforting smile, but it was strained.

“He’s gone firefly… You don’t have to think about him… Hey, why don’t we go to that little cafe you like once we get off? It’ll be my treat?”

You knew she was just doing her best to get your head off what had just happened, along with the memories that was trying to get to your head, and any other time you would have told her that no, you’d rather go home and be alone. But something told you that wasn’t a good idea… So instead, you nodded slightly, carefully wiping away the tears that was trying to get out before they could and send her a smile.

“That’s more like it… Come on, let’s take some of the rabbits out and let them out to play for a while. It’s a slow day, I’m sure it will be fine…”

That did sound like fun, but fine it wasn’t. Because she let out the biggest troublemaker of course, forcing you to spend the rest of your shift chasing one determined rabbit around the place. But you couldn’t care more, because Kate was laughing and so were you.

Just for a while, things were better.

~*~*~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

“So, did I actually get to tell you how that date I was on went?” Kate asked over the rim of her coffee cup, you shook your head instantly and placed your elbows on the table, blinking your eyes and hoping she’d get the meaning. ‘No, please tell me of your romantic adventures that I could care less about!’ is what you would have said, if you could.

The laugh she came with said that she’d at least guessed something along those lines, because she carefully pushed your shoulder and almost made you fall face-first into the cake you’d ordered, only just managing to avoid it, making both of you laugh for a good while before she spoke up once more.

“Well, I don’t know if you remember who it was this time, so I’ll just remind you: her name was Emily, brown straight hair about shoulder length, brown eyes, dreamy skin? Ring any bells?” You rolled your eyes nodding your head. Yes, you remembered Emily. Kate had been at _work_ when she decided to flirt and ask the girl out after all. It was hard not to remember that!

“Good, good, wouldn’t want you to forget that pretty face… Anyway! We just went the classic route: a movie - no, not a horror one, she doesn’t like those so I didn’t go there - and then dinner at a place afterwards. It was really nice. The movie was great, food was great and we were talking and laughing together. Everything was going great!”

You took a sip of the hot chocolate you’d gotten yourself before looking at her and raising one eyebrow at her as if to as ‘but?’ Because there was a ‘but’ in there, you could hear it.

“... But, well… She told me she had a great time, but she wasn’t sure I was for her. Something about me being too brash about everything, that I should try and find a good man instead… Man, can you believe it? I’ve dated so many guys, but they never seemed like someone I’d want to _keep_ dating! I was sure she was going to be more, but we both agreed to keep being friends at least, so yeah… We still text back and forth now, but nothings there. No spark… I guess I just have to find my fire somewhere else…” She let out a long, drawn out sigh “It’s so sad… She was so _perfect_ …”

You rolled your eyes at that, using the fork to pick up a bit of whipped cream from the cake and poking at her nose as she was sitting with her head in her hands, making her blink and look to the point on her nose that was now white. You giggled as she wiped it away before looking at you with a scowl. “What was that for?”

Getting your phone out, you typed out the response on a text before turning the phone so she could read it.

‘Get down from the clouds, you’ll find someone.’

She groaned loudly at that. “I knoooow, but firefly! It’s taking so long!” She complains. Oh no, drama queen was on.

“I know, I know… I’m being a drama queen, but listen…” She sat a bit more straight, trying to look serious. “I’ve been trying for so long to find a guy or gal that I could keep on seeing. Most of the time that doesn’t happen! I see them maybe two times before I find something, anything, that just doesn’t speak to me! And then bam! No more!”

When she was done with her little speech, you finally got to show her what you’d written at the very beginning of what was a rehearsed speech.

‘You’ll find the one. You just have to _work out_ the kinks with them instead of getting the drama queen out again.’

She glared at you for about five seconds before letting her forehead rest on the table, letting out a long groan. “I knooooow…”

You rolled your eyes, about to text again when a message popped up on your phone. Curious, you went and opened it, Kate now looking at you curiously.

**UNDYNE:** Yo punk! Realized we hadn’t agreed on a date! How does this weekend sound? Me and my girl will have some friends over, but I promise it’s fine! So, what do you say?!

The look Kate was giving you made you sigh and show the message, letting out a squeak when she took the phone from your hand and starting to type out on it.

“Oh girl, I know you’d say no because you won’t be the only one there, but you’re going! Oh, and I’m going along too if I can help it!” She told you as she handed you back the phone, instantly looking to it when you got it handed back just as a message filed in.

**YOU:** Could I take a friend along? She’d love to meet you guys as well!

**UNDYNE:** FUHUHUHUHU! OF COURSE YA NERD! Just swing by when ya got the time!

You glared across from the table where your friend was sitting, looking rather pleased with herself as another message popped in with the address. “So, we both going or?” She asked, and after a bit you sighed and nodded your head, putting the phone away and picking back up the previously forgotten drink.

It wasn’t as hot now, but with the smile on your face and the feeling in your chest, you didn’t think you needed more warmth for now. You couldn’t lie, you were looking forward to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not sure if I should post chapters regular or just when I got them. For now, I'm ahead when it comes to chapters, but it's not for certain that's going to continue. So I want to know!  
> Should I update weekly or just when I have a chapter to give you guys?  
> For now, I'm going to see if I can't upload a chapter a week - maybe two if I feel like it - until I don't have any chapters backed up.  
> Anyways, bye for now!


	3. Chapter 3: Anime and new faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy that people seem to enjoy the story so far! I'm really happy about that! So, here's a new chapter for everyone! We finally get to see some new faces!

You were pacing. You’d ended up talking back and forth with Undyne - also telling her that your phone had been held hostage to get that first message out, something she had clearly been laughing over because it took her a few moments before she answered - and agreed that you’d go there with Kate Saturday around noon, bringing PJ’s, clothes and other things so that you all could have a giant sleepover. You hadn’t gotten her to tell you who these friends of hers were, but she kept telling you that you’d get along. You really hoped that was true.

Their place was a good ways off, so you and Kate had agreed that she’d come by and pick you up before taking you to Undyne’s house, thus leaving you to pace as there was an hour until she’d show up. All your things were packed, along with your sketchbook and another book for reading. Sleeping somewhere else always made you nervous, so you feared that it might be a night of reading instead of sleeping, you couldn’t tell so it was better to just be sure and bring it along.

But this hour of waiting was killing you. Undyne  _ did  _ say you would be getting along with her friends, but you were nervous. Were they going to understand your signing? You hoped that was the case, seeing that she did, but there was no telling if they would.

On top of this, there would just be new people. It wasn’t because you didn’t want to meet new people, but it always made you so nervous. What if you messed up? What if they didn’t understand you? What if you ended up hurting them with something you said?

What if they asked you about your silence?

That last one was the one you feared the most. Sure, you knew you could tell people, but thinking about that time… It still scared you. Made you feel like you were back then, something you really didn’t want. More than anything, you wanted to just forget it ever happened and just live your life in silence…

You’d already lost so much from it, but you didn’t know if you could ever get over it again.

You were startled out of your train of thoughts when a knock was on the door, quickly going over to answer it and being happy when you saw it was Kate.

“Heya Firefly, ready to head out?”

You quickly glanced over at the clock on the TV table before turning back to her with a raised eyebrow. There was still a good while before she was supposed to be here, so why? She guessed what the look was for instantly, chuckling.

“I figured we’d head somewhere and buy a cake or something to bring. We don’t know how many we’ll be, but bringing a snack as a gift is a good first impression, right?”

Well, you couldn’t argue with that logic. Nodding to her at that, you took your bag before remembering that there was one thing you’d forgotten to pack. Holding a finger up to tell her to wait a second, you quickly made your way into your bedroom to get the notebook from the drawer, heading back instantly and hiding it in the bag as soon as you did before giving her a thumbs-up.

She looked at your bag for a few seconds, before pointing to it and making eye contact. “Was that the notebook I think it is? Because if so girl, you need to let me read over it again. You’ve had more of those dreams.” She said, the look in her eye turning into that one you just hated.

You put your hands on your hips, glaring back at her. She was the one who’d told you she believed it was your soulmate you’d been dreaming of. You didn’t know if such a thing even existed - not to mention that you still had your own believes - but she was talking about it like it was a truth set in stone. Something unchanging and something true. You? Well, you wanted to see it before you believed it. You’d always been a bigger believer in science than you were religion or whatever this ‘soulmate’ thing was about.

Kate just shrugged, grinning at you. “Well anyway, come on! We don’t want someone else getting the better snacks!” She said before heading to her car, an old pickup truck that she’d had for ages. It was rusty and had a mind of its own, you were pretty sure it also hated you, but it was the only option right now.

Getting snacks didn’t take long. You drove to a small cozy bakery that was in town, somewhere that not many went but it was still in business nonetheless. And the goods there was  _ great. _

You both looked over the choices, but once you landed on the cinnamon rolls, you both glanced at each other and nodded, no words needed. They were freshly baked, smelled like a dream and making you both drool.

You were feeling pretty happy that you had some extra time, because finding the right house took longer than any of you expected. Not to mention that at one point, the truck that seemed to hate you decided to stall you both by hacking and coughing before turning off. You were lucky that it was just the battery that had seemingly decided to be a bit of an pest. Once some guy had helped the two of you out, it didn’t take long before you were off once more.

Rolling up to the house, you smiled at the quaint little place. It was a two floor building with a small garden round back that you could get a very brief glimpse of. All in all, it did seem like a great house for two people. If they had this kind of money, you wondered where they worked. Perhaps you could ask later.

Getting out you remembered to get your overnight bag from the back seat and managed to take the package of cinnamon rolls as well, sticking your tongue out at Kate as she muttered a ‘not fair’ before the both of you walked up to the door while giggling.

Kate was the one to knock, not more than a second later having the door open up to the familiar - to you - face of Undyne grinning wildly down at the two of you. Oh good, you weren’t the only short one next to Undyne. You were kind of happy with that.

“What’s up nerds!”

Undyne seemed just as… Intense as when she’d been in the shop, something you were kind of happy about? At least it meant she’d been herself when talking to you at least. You had to do your best to hide your snickering as you watched Kate stepping to her tippy-toes to try and seem taller than she was. It wasn’t working.

Undyne caught the movement though and grinned at her.

“You must be the infamous phone kidnapper.” She said with a huge smirk that Kate returned.

“That would be me. The name is Katelyn, Kate for short.” She said, holding out her hands.

You had to do your best to not fall over laughing as the two of them started a bit of a ‘who backs down first’ competition, as you were pretty sure they were crushing each others hands as much as they could in that handshake. Snapping your fingers, you got the attention of both of them and started signing towards Undyne - admittedly a bit awkwardly as you were doing your best not to drop the cinnamon rolls..

‘We’re both happy to be here Undyne! I know  _ I _ at least have been looking forward to it. Should we go in instead of standing out here?’

Undyne laughed at that, releasing the hold on Kate’s hand - who looked like she thought she’d won that one, not that you could tell her that you’d basically called for a stalemate for her - before you moved inside and closed the door after you.

Once you’d both kicked off your shoes you walked into the living room, smiling as you saw it. It was a quaint little place, a sofa and a loveseat sitting in front of a TV mounted to a wall, a carpet laying under the coffee table and a few flowers resting on the table. There was some posters of different animes on the walls, something you couldn’t help but smile at. And of course, at one wall giving off a nice glow was the aquarium that Undyne had shown you when she came in to get some new fish.

You instantly went over for that once you deposited your bag next to the sofa along with the snacks on the table, smiling as you watched all the little fish move around in there. You could see the ones she had decided to buy swimming among them, living happily with the others and giving that bit that had been ‘missing’ as Undyne had said it. Kate had walked over with you, looking at the fish with less interest than you as Undyne came over as well, grinning.

‘I can see the fish has settled in well’ you quickly signed to her with a smile as she chuckled.

“Yeah, they’ve really made a difference. It all just… Comes together now, ya know?!” She said, grinning.

Just then, a small dinosaur monster came out from what you could glance was the kitchen, a small tray of hot chocolate in her hands that she went over to the coffee table with, looking rather nervous you had to admit. Well, you were two strangers here, maybe she wasn’t good with new people. Kate and Undyne had started talking about the fish instead along with… Well, you heard ‘shark’ being mentioned, so you decided to walk over to the quiet monster - she was just around your height, just a little taller than you - and gave her a gentle smile and a wave.

“O-oh! U I-I d-d-didn’t see you t-t-t-there…” Oh dear, she really was nervous. You gave her a gentle smile and waited for her to speak up once more. “U-uh… Y-you must b-b-be the h-h-human that U-Undyne spoke a-about…”

You smiled at that, nodding your head and quickly signing to introduce yourself. The dinosaur seemed to gather herself a bit at that, looking a bit more comfortable.

“O-oh right! Undyne d-did mention… Uh, I’m A-Alphys uh… I-is there a r-r-reason that you u-uh…” She seemed to not know how to ask, so you decided to spare her.

‘Yes, there is a reason, but I’d rather not talk about it… It’s still a bit too close to heart, even if I’ve been mute for a while’ you gently signed, looking off to the side.

“O-oh! That’s p-p-perfectly fine! I-I wouldn’t want t-to be the one t-t-to… M-make you u-u-uncomfortable…” She told you with a shy smile, something you couldn’t help but return.

Just then, Undyne and Kate seemed to have noticed that you had moved away from the fish and was talking to Alphys instead. And apparently, Undyne took it upon herself to introduce her girlfriend to Kate while picking her up and placing her on one shoulder - geez this woman was strong! - even if this made the yellow dinosaur completely red in the face and got her to hide in her hands.

Remembering what Undyne had said back when you had been planning for this day, you were about to ‘speak up’ when Kate beat you to it.

“Hey, didn’t you say something about some friends being over as well?”

“FUHUHUHU! YEAH! They’ll be over later, I figured we could get all the decorations in the aquarium set up before they got here, besides, I’m pretty sure Paps is still trying to get the lazy ass out of his room…” The last bit was mumbled while she was shaking her head, barely being audible but you did hear it and it made you chuckle.

Kate and Alphys was left on the couch to talk, getting into a conversation about some anime once she asked about a poster and you couldn’t help but notice that Alphys almost didn’t stutter while talking about it. Awww, she was passionate about it. That was so cute.

You and Undyne spend a good amount of time moving around the fake skulls and caves around, the fish seemingly not caring that her arm was moving around down there. You summed it up to the fact that she was fish-like herself - and a monster - so you didn’t really question it. Once you both decided that things looked awesome, you joined the others, Undyne and Alphys on the loveseat with you and kate on the sofa, drinking the hot chocolate, enjoying the cinnamon rolls - they had been a good choice it seemed - and talking while talking about weather or not to put on a anime or movie while you waited for the others to be around.

You found out that there would be three others over; a pair of brothers and the kid that had freed all monsters from under the mountain. You weren’t sure how your nerves was going to take having a kid around. Your usual experience with kids was not that great. Either they were asking so many questions that you couldn’t do anything, or they would be dragging you around or -the most common one - complain about you being ‘too quiet for their taste’. 

Alphys had just put on her favorite anime to show you - Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, not the second one that she proclaimed was clear out trash without a stutter - when there was a knock at the door. Undyne instantly jumped off the couch - literally - and rushed to open the door.

“HELLO SQUIRT! READY TO HANG OUT?!” Oh, you thought she couldn’t get any louder.

“Oh, hey Toriel, good to see ya.” She added after a bit, making you lean to the side of the couch to try and see who Undyne was speaking to.

“Why hello there Undyne. I trust you and Dr. Alphys will be taking good care of Frisk, am I right?” A gentle, clearly motherly voice spoke softly, making it really hard to keep sitting there. The voice was just begging for you to rush out and hug them.

“You becha’! Don’t worry Tori, we’re gonna have so much fun! We’re besties after all! FUHUHUHUHUHU!”

They kept on speaking but your attention shifted when a child - you guessed this was the one that had literally saved monsterkind - came into the room and locked eyes with you. Neither of you moved for a while before they threw their bag to the side, running over to you with a huge smile and… Oh! They were  _ signing _ at you!

**‘Hello! Nice to meet you! I’m Frisk, what’s your name?’**

You were started for a few seconds at that and it looked like Frisk was going to get Alphys to translate before you got their attention again and smiled while introducing yourself.

They seemed surprised by this, looking at your hands before eagerly signing as well.

**‘You sign too?! Are you mute as well?!’**

Relax, you had to remind yourself. They were a kid, they were gonna ask questions.

‘Indeed I am. But I don’t really want to talk about it. But it’s nice to meet you Frisk. Are you really besties with Undyne?’ You remembered what you’d overheard, so you decided you might as well ask. Frisk seemed overjoyed at the thought, nodding their head so fast you were surprised that they didn’t get dizzy.

Crawling up on the couch next to you, they started signing rapidly about them meeting in the underground and how they had chased them to some place called ‘Hotlands’ and pouring a cup of water on her when she overheated, you smiling so much as they kept speaking. So much that you didn’t hear that the others had arrived as well before Frisk just stopped signing to instead rush off the couch and around you to the newly arrived. You couldn’t help but chuckle, turning around…

And freezing as you looked over the two skeletons standing there talking to Frisk, one of them seeming… Almost familiar?


	4. Chapter 4: Jokes and pranks

You don’t know how long you stared at the skeleton that just seemed like you knew him - how could that be, you’d never seen a monster before that time with Undyne! - but it was long enough for Kate and Alphys to be giggling and the skeleton in question to notice and look at you with a amused grin… Or was that just the permanent grin on his face? How could you tell if he changed emotions?!

“ya know, they say a picture lasts longer kid…”

Oh dear, how rude could you get.

Your face was instantly burning, hands flailing around as you tried to apologize, you didn’t mean to stare damn it! You were just so surprised, monsters were all so different and you really didn’t mean it. You only stopped when you head a chuckle, looking back to the skeleton that you stared at before.

“calm down, i didn’t get any of that, but ‘m guessing ya were apologizing. it’s fine, no  _ bones _ about it.” He told you, before winking at you.

How did he do that?

Wait… Was that a  _ pun?! _

“SANS, SERIOUSLY, DO NOT PLAGUE US ALL WITH YOUR PUNS THIS EARLY!”

Okay, if the other skeleton was that loud,  _ how _ had you missed them walking in here?!

“oh come on bro, my puns are  _ humerous _ . besides, you’re smiling.”

“IT’S A PITTY SMILE BROTHER. NOTHING MORE. YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD PUT MORE… ‘BACKBONE’ INTO THEM. NYE HEHEHE!”

Okay… You didn’t really know any of them yet, but the taller skeleton was clearly  _ adorable. _ How was it again that people could hate on monsters when they were just so…  _ Nice. _

You stood up, cheeks still burning mildly in embarrassment, walking over to them and introducing yourself. Once you’d spelled out your name, the smaller skeleton - had his brother called him ‘Sans’? - chuckled a bit.

“ya not kidding there eh? well nice meeting ya kid. i’m sans, sans the skeleton.” He told you, holding out a hand. He was wearing a pair of mittens, but you didn’t think about it as you reached out, Frisk seeming to try and stop you before but-

The sound of farting cut all other sounds in the house for a while, before everyone else either started laughing or - in the taller skeletons case - shriek in disbelieve.

“heh, the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick. a classic.” 

Oh my god could you get even more embarrassed?

“PLEASE, I DO APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHER HUMAN. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, KNOW THAT HE CAN BE INSUFFERABLE WITH THOSE JOKES OF HIS, I HOPE THIS DOESN’T GIVE YOU A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION OF US.” Oh, so his name was Papyrus… Of course  _ both _ of the skeletons would have names that was also  _ fonts _ !

You smiled to him, this time making sure your words wouldn’t be jumbled as you signed.

‘It’s quite all right Papyrus, I must say while I hadn’t expected it… A small joke like that doesn’t bother me. I found it funny’

Papyrus seemed to look at your hands for a while, making you start worry that he didn’t understand, before he let out a sigh.

“WELL IF YOU’RE SURE THAT IT DIDN’T BOTHER YOU HUMAN, I AM GLAD. BUT PLEASE DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM. I WOULD LOVE FOR THIS SLEEPOVER TO HAVE A LOT FEWER PUNS THAN WHAT I FEAR MAY BE THE CASE OTHERWISE.”

You smiled at him at that, even if you had the faint idea that the ‘pity smile’ wasn’t so much pitty. But if he wasn’t going to admit it, you’d be quiet.

“Hey you NERDS! Come on over and sit, we’ve got a whole lot of movies and anime to get through ya know?!” Undyne called out to you, somehow having found her place back next to Alphys. You all went back over there, getting comfortable. Papyrus and Frisk - who seemed really close - decided to make a ‘bed’ of pillows and blankets on the ground - you weren’t sure where they were getting all of those from, but you wouldn’t question it - and you sat back down next to Kate while Sans placed himself down next to you. You didn’t really mind, but once everyone else’s attention was on the show, you turned to him and got his attention once more.

‘I’m really sorry about the staring… I don’t know where that came from, really.’ you told him, looking ashamed of yourself.

“...  _ snow _ problem kid. guess we just  _ rattled _ you a bit there.” He was keeping his voice down to not disturb the others or get their attention. That was something at least. And you could let your shoulders jump with the silent giggle at the puns before replying.

‘It’s not that. Sure, you’re skeleton monsters, it  _ was _ a bit surprising to see you standing there but I just… Nevermind. ’

He raised an uh… Whatever the skeleton equivalent of a eyebrow was, when you didn’t finish your sentence, looking like he was about to ask about it. But just then, Alphys let out a small squee about something that was going on, drawing your attention back to the screen.

When you looked back to him ten minutes later, he was… Sleeping?

How in the world did he fall asleep that quickly?! And how was his eyes even closed?! They were hollow sockets besides that little light right? Skulls shouldn’t do that right?! Well he was a monster so… Must be a monster thing. Looking back towards Undyne just as the episode ended you watched as she stood up.

“All right punks, who’s up for getting some Pizza?!”

Once the pizza’s were ordered, you all took turns to head to the bathroom to change into PJ’s for the night. Undyne and Alphys had matching anime onesies - something you found adorable, but you weren’t going to say it out loud - Frisk had a snail on their PJ shirt and pies on the pants. It suited them well you thought. Papyrus had spaghetty themed PJ’s - something Undyne told you was so like him - the only ones that didn’t have anything like that were you, Kate and Sans, the latter who just shrugged his jacket off and said he was good. So lazy. You couldn’t help but chuckle at it. Then again, the t-shirt and shorts combo was something you and Kate was also rocking. So you supposed it fit.

You all decided to find a movie while waiting for the pizza’s to get here, as well as get everything set for when you were all going to fall asleep. Kate - with a evil look in her eyes - said she could go for a ‘bed’ like Frisk and Papyrus on the floor if that meant you and Sans - who seemed to either be asleep or making puns - could just take the couch for yourselves.

You narrowed your eyes at her. You knew this game: she knew you still had baggage from Rick, so when she saw the chance - being in a bar, a club or anywhere that there might be a potential guy for you - she’d push for you to try it out.

You couldn’t say you didn’t appreciate her looking out for you, but you weren’t sure you were ready for anything still…

The rest of the night seemed to go without a flaw: the pizza’s arrived and caused a bit of a commotion as everyone hurried to get a piece themselves before sitting back to enjoy the movie. Once that one was done, both Frisk and Papyrus - to you and Kate’s surprise, the others seemed like they expected it - were asleep tangled up in a blanket each. You gently asked if you should all just do something else, but the monsters promised you that you could burn the house down and they would still keep sleeping.

So, instead, you all decided that watching just one horror movie before going back to anime was a good idea. You didn’t particularly  _ like _ horror movies, but they didn't’ scare you either - to Undyne’s clear annoyance, had she hoped for something there? - but you still held the blanket that you’d gotten sometime between getting the pizzas and realizing the two ‘kids’ on the floor had fallen asleep a little closer and higher.

Kate fell asleep somewhere in the anime after the horror movie, Undyne calling her out for being ‘weak’ and not lasting longer. Sans was a wildcard, seemingly asleep one moment and the next sitting and making some sort of pun or joke, so it was hard to tell.

You were half-listening as Undyne and Alphys were whispering ramblings about the show and how something else should have happened when you realized just how comfy you were. It didn’t take long after that for you to fall asleep with a smile on your face.

_ You were standing on a field, surrounded by monsters - no, surrounded by friends. They were your friends, as hard as it was to believe. You would have never thought you’d ever find friends as great as these, but you had, something you never wanted to take for granted. _

_ You watched Frisk bounce over to you, barely visible under the scarf and hat that their mother had knitted for them, smiling as they handed you a sparkler and you signed thanks to them. Huh, you didn’t speak this time? You knew you were dreaming, the snow all around said as much. You were nowhere near the time for snow. _

_ You watched as Frisk bounced a bit on the spot to get the attention of the one next to you, grinning when they finally took the sparkler offered. Huh, were you… Able to see a bit of a blue jacket? No, that couldn’t be right… But it just…  _ **_Seemed_ ** _ right in your head. Why were these dreams always so weird with that. _

_ You weren’t surprised when Frisk bounced off again, nor when the figure - still too dark to make out details, but that was a blue jacket for sure… Right? - got a lighter from their pocket and ignited their sparkler, smiling and offering to ignite yours as well. You smiled back and let them, watching the pretty blue sparks that came from them. The figure next to you had gotten a green one. _

_ “Heh, gotta say, these things have a certain  _ **_spark_ ** _ to them, I can see why the kiddo likes them.” The voice was still not… Right. But there was something there now… Something that hadn’t been there before. You looked over to them with a smile, signing with one hand even if it was a bit awkward. _

_ ‘Well, they sure do  _ **_light_ ** _ the mood’ _ _ Oh great, were you doing puns as well? You couldn’t care less a second later when the figure chuckled deeply, the sound making your chest feel warm once more. God you wanted to know what that was, but for now, it just made everything seem better. _

_ “Heh, good one. And you’re right, they do. And take no work at all.” You got the feeling that they were winking at you, making your dream self roll your eyes. You were about to sign when the others around you started counting down. Oh, New Years? That was… Good and well four months from now. If it was this year's New Year. If the dreams weren’t just… Dreams. _

_ You felt more than saw the other figure coming to stand closer to you, their arm brushing against yours. Your cheeks as well as your chest felt warm at that, looking over to them as the new year got closer. You felt an arm rest around your shoulder, sturdy and unmoving - almost feeling  _ **_safe_ ** _ \- and as the others called out happy new years to the sky as fireworks lit up the night, you felt... a pair of lips? gently press to your cheek. _

_ “Happy new year sweetheart…” Their voice was so… Warm. Filled with love and adoration in that moment. You felt yourself smile and while feeling so embarrassed and shy about it, returned the gesture before leaning back and - to your surprise - whispered very carefully. _

_ “Happy new year-” _

You woke up to the sound of pots and pans, wishing you had gotten to sleep just a few seconds longer. Maybe you would have-

Wait… Was there something laying on your stomach?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes a bit earlier than what I would have normally done, but I'm heading out tomorrow and need to do some things before then, so I decided that I was going to get this chapter out before then! Hope you enjoy! Also:  
> THANK YOU!!!  
> Thank you for the kudos and bookmarks you've been leaving on my story! I can't tell you all how much it means to me! I really hope I can keep the story going and that you all will enjoy it!


	5. Chapter 5: Embarrassing Moments and Serious Talks

You hadn’t opened your eyes at this point, trying to hold onto the dream that you’d had, but even if you were doing everything you could to keep the memory there… But the feeling of something on your stomach - was there something wrapped around your waist as well? - was making it impossible. Deciding that you wouldn’t be able to keep this dream and write it down, you carefully opened your eyes just a smudge, looking around.

Frisk and Papyrus was clearly awake, the bed they’d used void of them. Kate was still sleeping, using a pillow over her head to keep lights away from her eyes. Nothing new there. Alphys and Undyne was nowhere to be seen, but then again they could have gone to their bed when everyone else went to sleep. That only left…

Your eyes slowly moved from where they had been resting while you were thinking, looking down to your waist…

Oh dear lord, your face was on fire. You were sure of it.

There, using your stomach as a pillow and having his arms wrapped around your waist, was Sans. He was snoring gently - how?! He didn’t have a nose! You were pretty sure it was some kind of problem with the nose that made it so you snored! - his chest gently rising and falling with his breathing and looking just generally… Relaxed.

You weren’t sure what to think of this moment, but well… You were sure that Frisk and Papyrus would have seen Sans sleeping like this on you, so it wouldn’t matter if they saw again. And Kate wouldn’t leave it alone once she heard about it - something you were about along with the fact that she’d get to know _some way_ \- so you might as well just… Study him a bit more. You couldn’t really say you _weren’t_ curious.

His eyes were closed - he did have some form of eyelids after all - and while he looked relaxed there was dark circles under his eyes. Did he have trouble sleeping? Seemed like he slept a lot from just what happened yesterday… Then again, he did seem like he constantly woke up as well. Maybe he just pretended?

It was clear there was a difference to the smiles he wore. When he was awake, the smile he had on had seemed… Too wide, too big. Now while he was sleeping - and looking a little too comfortable, even if it was kind of… cute? - it was more relaxed and real, almost vulnerable. When he moved a bit in his sleep you closed your eyes quickly, pretending to be asleep still.

When you were sure he wasn’t stirring - like you feared at first - you peaked once more.

Looking at him sleeping like this… You weren’t sure why, but it felt like a lot of trust was given. You weren’t sure why, but the feeling was there. You did suppose that was true. Even if you hadn’t been able to follow along with everything with monsters, you had heard that monsters were more magic than physical beings. You weren’t sure why, but that just sounded like they were more… exposed.

The sound of a image being taken and a giggle caught your attention, making you turn your head and stare in shock. Kate was awake - way before she usually were - and sitting with her phone in hand… Oh no… She didn’t.

The look she was giving you said she did.

You couldn’t help it. You covered your face with your hands as you heard Kate get up and moving out of the room, to the kitchen if the hushed voices were anything to go by. Well, as hushed as it sounded like Papyrus and Undyne could get. Great, was everyone else awake? Had _everyone_ seen Sans hugging your middle like this? You were shaken out of your inner musing when you felt Sans shift, hoping that the embarrassment would just be over. And well, you guess it was. Because, well…

“uh… heh, whoops. s-sorry kid…”

Sans was awake. Thank-freaking-GOD!

Once Sans had moved away you sat up with the armrest to your back, still hiding your face for just a bit longer to try and just ignore the burning. You slowly let them fall to your lap though, looking over to Sans who was looking away from you, having moved to the other end of the sofa to give you space, his smile for sure different from before and…

He was blue in the face? What did that mean?

“i uh… mean it kid. sorry ‘bout uh… clinging to ya like that… heh, didn’t uh really… mean to…”

Oh god, was he embarrassed? Well, you at least felt a bit better that you weren’t the only one. Did that mean that he was… Blushing? Maybe that was it… It was kind of cute…

Okay, you needed to get away from the situation for a bit. But first of all you snapped your fingers to get his attention before signing while looking to the side.

‘It’s fine Sans, no harm done right? Besides, you looked like you were… Comfortable…’ 

You didn’t know why you added that last bit, but at least the theory of the blue being his version of a blush wasn’t far off because it deepened as he translated that in his head.

Deciding that the both of you needed a break you decided to head off to the bathroom for your morning routine… And to get into some less showing clothes. You had been lucky it was dark out last night, but you didn’t want to chance them seeing… That.

You freshened up as best as you could before walking out once more, finding that this time Kate was back along with Alphys and Frisk. The girls were talking about the anime last night - the one that Kate had fallen asleep to - and discussing the plot while Sans and Frisk were sitting and listening in, the occasional pun being thrown in there from Sans making everyone giggle.

Looking into the kitchen, you decided that the combined energy of Papyrus and Undyne cooking was… Well, too much for you at this stage. So for now you decided to sit down on the couch… As far from Sans as you could, just to not make things awkward. That thought was quickly gone tho when Frisk looked between you and Sans before wagging their eyebrows at you.

Awkward for sure.

“S-so...H-h-have you slept w-well?” Alphys was looking at you and… You weren’t sure if you were a fan of that look she was giving you. But well, it would be rude not to answer.

‘Yes, I slept well… Had a strange dream that I can’t remember much of, but I know it was there.’  You signed, making Alphys frown.

“S-strange dream?”

Now Kate was turned to you, eyes wide.

“No way Firefly, you had another one?! Please oh _please_ tell me you saw something new this time! Can… Can you remember?” She asked, looking hopeful until you shook your head ‘no’, making her deflate like a balloon.

“W-wait, what are t-these s-strange dreams she s-speaks of?” Alphys was looking to Kate who clearly knew. And it seemed like Frisk and even Sans were interested now.

“She’s been having them for a while now! She’s been letting me read the journal she keeps to remember them, otherwise they slip away! She’s been having dreams of being on dates with this strange figure she can’t see at all! It’s like they’ve been censored out or something… A bit like what they do on TV when someone wants to stay anonymous!” Kate explained, making Alphys look shocked to you.

“I-is this true? Are you really… Having d-dreams like that?” You didn’t miss how she almost didn’t stutter, nodding to confirm it.

“huh… didn’t know humans could still have those…”

Now, all three humans in the room was looking between the two monsters there, confused. What were they talking about? Kate was about to be the voice of the question when there was a loud call from the kitchen.

“Breakfast is ready nerds! Get in here!”

“AND SANS, NO PUNS AT THE TABLE! I DO NOT WISH TO HAVE MY MORNING RUINED BY THOSE TERRIBLE PUNS OF YOURS!”

“aw, come on bro, my puns aren’t that _tear_ ible! the kid finds them _humerus_ enough!”

“UGH, ENOUGH!”

You all at least chuckled at the little back and forth between the two skeleton, past conversation seemingly long gone for now. Maybe you could ask one of the monsters about it at another time… ‘One of the monsters’ being Alphys, as you weren’t sure Undyne or Papyrus were the right ones to ask something like this and you weren’t asking Sans. For… Completely reasonable reasons. Yeah!

Breakfast with the monsters was interesting at least. There was a lot of food made, so you didn't have to be shy about eating until you were full. And both you and Kate had a embarrassing moment when you both realized you had been staring at a skeleton trying to figure out where the food went, only to be told it was fine. Frisk having done the same before didn’t really make you feel less embarrassed, but you tried to not let it show.

Once everyone was done eating and the table had been cleaned off, you were surprised when Sans had to excuse himself as he had a job he needed to get to. With how lazy he’d seemed the day before, you were surprised that he worked in the weekend. Perhaps there really was a lot more to that skeleton…

You and Kate stayed a while with Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus and Frisk, doing small things from drawing to talking about things you liked. You weren’t surprised to find out that Papyrus had a love for spaghetti and asked you to find a day where you could come over to make ‘friendship spaghetti’ with him. You weren’t sure how it was different from regular spaghetti but you couldn’t say no to him, so you exchanged phone numbers and decided to text about a day. You also got Alphys’ phone number, along with Frisk’s who surprised you by having a phone.

Though you couldn’t tell what brand it was. It was a bit of a… Brick.

It wasn’t long after that Kate - with a sigh and a shake of her head - told you that if you wanted a ride with her back home it would be now. She had some family business to attend to, so she had to go. You had wanted to stay longer with your new friends but when they told you - with a bit of laughter from Undyne - that you all could just find another day to hang out you dragged yourself up and out the door.

Once you were out in the truck and driving off, a comfortable silence came over the place until…

“So, you really can’t remember anything from the dream?” Kate asked, glancing over to watch as you shook your head. “Damn… You usually have a bit to write it down… Maybe you were just a bit distracted this morning by a cute skeleton using you as a pillow and teddy bear at the same time, eh?” Oh dear lord, you could hear the wink in her voice without having to look at her.

She must have looked over to see you looking out the window because she was giggling. Yeah, just laugh at the misfortune that was you. She never meant anything with it, so you didn’t take it to heart.

“But uh… Firefly? Serious talk for a moment?”

Oh, this was something that hadn’t happened in a while. Kate was really something else. She wasn’t the most social butterfly - it had taken a while before she started speaking to you as it was just ‘a waste of time when she didn’t understand the fumbling at all’ as she’d put it - but she was still someone who could take a good joke and dish one out as well. Kate wasn’t exactly a girly-girl either. Heck she’d gotten into more fights than you thought would have been possible. But she always spoke with this light tone to her voice, unless she was in ‘serious talk’ mode. Then, her voice sounded almost hesitant. You knew she had some baggage as well, but hadn’t asked. If you did, she usually shut you out.

You turned in the seat to face her a bit better, taking note that she was taking a detour to make the ride last longer, before making a gesture to let her know you were listening.

“I know Rick is still getting under your skin. And you can’t deny it forever girl. But this morning… I haven’t seen you so at ease ever. Last night too, you were in the moment, not waiting for the other shoe to drop and your life to go back to the hell it was. And that skeleton, Sans, he got you laughing. For real.”

You were surprised she’d been noticing all this.

“I’m not asking you to just… Forget that shit. I know for a fucking fact that would be hypocritical coming from me.” That made you smile a bit. “But really… Don’t let the prick ruin this for you. Try and get to know these guys, they’re great. Heck, if it wasn’t for the cute girlfriend she had, I would have jumped at the opportunity to try and see if Undyne and I could have worked out-” You surprised Kate to stop at that by laughing. Not just the usual hoarse sound of air coming out of your lungs either. There was _sound_ to it.

Once you’d calmed down, you motioned for her to go on, but it took a bit before she got back on track after that.

“Uh, just gonna say, nice knowing that sound is still something you’re capable of… But really… Hang out with them. Especially Sans. He kept sending you sideways looks all night - not just from the initial staring that you did, he did it way too much for it to just be that - but really look at you. Oh, and this morning was great as well.” All right, serious moment seemed to be over.

Just then she pulled up to your apartment complex, turning the car off and moving to sit and face you.

“But really Firefly… You need more people in your life… And these guys understand you. You’ll still have me, don’t worry, but no matter what… You need more people. I know you’ve tried for a while now and that others… Don’t really take the time to get to know you because of the little bump that is your missing voice, but you don’t have that with these people. So give it a chance for me, all right?”

Damn it… You couldn’t say anything against that. You knew she was right. Well, you did suppose that’s what happens when your bestie slash selected-sister decided to get serious. So, noticing that she hadn’t failed to have a block and a pen in the car to speak with you, you picked it up and started writing.

‘All right edgy-softhead. I’ll try. But only because it feels nice to finally have someone to talk to without feeling like there’s a barrier just because it’s taking me forever to get through the mental barrier that is the accident.’

Once she was done reading it, she gave you one of those rare smiles that made you smile back. “Great… Thanks Firefly… It’s really been great seeing you happy around others for once…” She seemed confused when you wrote again, waiting until you were done before reading over the new ‘message’.

‘But seeing as I’m doing this, you’re handling _two_ of my little friends tomorrow. No buts, no arguments, and I’m bringing the video camera.’

It took you a good half hour before the two of you were done play-fighting in the car because of that before you got out, smiling and waving to her as she drove off while sticking her tongue out at you and giving you the middle finger. You just rolled your eyes and turned to walk up to your place once she was out of sight. Unlocking the door and heading in, it didn’t take long after you had kicked off your shoes before you were sitting lazily in the couch, a huge smile on your face.

Maybe things weren’t so bleak after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! I might not post the next chapter before New Years, just to not stress over needing to update, but we'll see how things goes!
> 
> If I don't then I just want to wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!


	6. Chapter 6: Skeleton offers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird title for the chapter, I know. Hope you enjoy!

It had been some weeks since the sleepover. True to your words, you had decided to give hanging out with the monsters a chance. So between that, your weekly appointments to the psychologist that you had been assigned after what had happened and your shifts at the pet store, things had been hectic to say the least.

Kate had taken the challenge of holding the tarantula with a lot more ease than you had thought she would. Sure, she wasn’t calm at all, but seeing that you had taken it up on your hand first to show her how calm it was helped her, so once it was over on her hand she didn’t scream at least. She was doing her best not to shake though. You even got her to move it from one hand to the other - filming it of course - before she’d had enough and put it back. Once she had calmed down she even accepted the challenge of holding another one. You filmed it once more as she decided she could get it out herself this time and while she did seem like she had wanted to scream she hadn’t. She’d taken it very well.

And of course all your co-workers left notes about the images of Kate holding the spiders saying how they hadn’t thought she had it in her. They all loved it. She tried more than once to get those images to mysteriously ‘disappear’. It didn’t work.

You’d hung out with Papyrus - sometimes this included Sans, but he seemed to be working a lot - and you pretty quickly learned that ‘friendship spaghetti’ was just normal spaghetti. But it was made with the two of you working together, so you still liked it a lot. You didn’t usually make food for yourself, but you knew how to make a few things, so you’d been teaching him new foods once in a while. He appreciated it, no doubt about it. He really was just as adorable as you first thought him to be.

You’d also hung out with Undyne and Alphys, most of the time this ended up in you all watching anime until late at night, eating pizza and talking about random things as well as what they’d been up to. You weren’t afraid to say at this point that this was the closest you’d felt to having a bunch of friends. And it felt great.

You had never gotten around to asking about the dreams, but now… You weren’t sure if you should even ask. You’d had maybe one dream that you’d written down, but it was so vague that you couldn’t make out anything really. All you’d been able to see in the dream, all that you had written down, was that you’d seen a lot of blue. Something that had been glowing and taking all your attention. After that? You hadn’t had more of those dreams. It was… Odd.

Today was one of the days where Papyrus had asked to hang out. You’d been doing so at your place up until this point really, seeing that you had a fairly big apartment for just you alone. But then again, that wasn’t so surprising. You’d been top of class and having scholarships enough to pay for the classes you’d taken back then along with the apartment, so you had the cash back then. And after the accident you’d gotten a lot of money from insurance. On top of it all, you’d always been a bit of a money saver, not using more money than needed, so there was that as well. This time though, he’d asked you if he’d wanted you to come to his and Sans’ place.

You really weren’t sure why you hadn’t been invited over before. Because of your new friends you’d taken your time to read up on what had been going on with the monster race since they had come up here. Not surprising, one of the first things that had been going on had been to do with Frisk. The government had tried to remove Frisk from Toriel’s care - you hadn’t spoken much to her, only seeing her when she left her child with you, Undyne and Alphys for sleepovers but she screamed mother figure - but the person that was Frisk’s legal guardian had come forth and told that they would love nothing else than for Frisk to be with Toriel. So there was little they could do. In the government’s eyes, the woman called Rose Greenfield was still the guardian of Frisk, but Toriel was really her mother. Seemed like the woman even lived with the two of them, just so there could be no mentions of Frisk being neglected.

On top of that, there had been the case of money. Monsters had gold coins - real gold, not just gold covered or something like that - and thus it seemed like they were the richest people around. But digging a bit deeper, you quickly realized that there wasn’t many places that wanted to rent to monsters. Heck, it was hard for banks to accept the gold from the monsters. Alphys had even told you when you asked that they got the place they did because of her status as the Royal Scientist below the mountain. She’d gotten her degree confirmed not too soon after, so the house was actually through the university she worked at.

It made you wonder what kind of place Sans and Papyrus had. The others hadn’t really wanted to talk about it, either avoiding the question or suddenly getting ‘bursts of energy’ that ‘needed to be let out’. So you were a bit worried as well as excited about finding out what the place was like.

You turned to your phone when a message came in. You smirked when you saw the nickname for the contact. Because you hadn’t been able to get his number with the other monsters - as he had run off to work before then - you’d asked Papyrus for his number. That had been fun. You’d decided that a knock-knock joke had been the best way to open up to Sans. Scrolling up, you read it over once more with a grin.

**YOU:** Knock, knock

 **BONEHEAD:** who’s there?

 **YOU:** Cash.

 **BONEHEAD:** … cash who?

 **YOU:** No thanks, I’ll have some peanuts.

It had taken him a good while before he’d responded after that, asking if it was you. You caved in easily and told him yes and that it had been his brother to snitch his number to you. You later found out that Sans had spend the whole day getting Papyrus to boil over from too many bad puns as a - god you had laughed too hard - _pun_ ishment.

Remembering that he’d send you a new text, you scrolled back down and read over it.

**BONEHEAD:** knock knock

Oh boy, you were in for it.

**YOU:** Who’s there?

 **BONEHEAD:** mustache

Oh, you had a idea where this was going.

**YOU:** Mustache who?

 **BONEHEAD:** i mustache you a question, would shave it for later, but it’s a bit to important

Yep, you couldn’t help but laugh at the double pun before smiling at the screen, replying.

**YOU:** All right bonehead, what’s ringing in that skull of yours?

 **BONEHEAD:** so, paps told me he’d invited ya over ta hang out

 **YOU:** Yeah, he said that while he liked my place, he ‘must insist that the hangout of friendship is at his place this time’. Had my hands tied up. Can’t say no to Paps.

 **BONEHEAD:** heh, sounds like paps all right… uh, just thought i’d let ya know beforehand tho… our place isn’t really… as nice as the one ya got.

You raised an eyebrow at that, looking at the screen. Well sure, your place was nice and all, but it was nothing fancy. It was on the low-end of apartments in the area. It really couldn’t be that bad.. Right?

**YOU:** I’m sure it’s fine Sans. We’re friends, I’m not going to judge you guys.

There, that should calm his worries, right? You knew he wasn’t a big fan of letting anyone to their place, but really it was fine… Right?

**BONEHEAD:** heh, well not worried ‘bout that… just letting ya know. but we’re doing fine.

Well, that was a weird thing to add to his sentence. You would have asked about that part of his text, but he started bombarding you with jokes, so you had a hard time thinking about it when you were laughing enough for your sides to hurt. You don’t know how you managed to beg for mercy between, but it took a good while before he decided to spare you from it all. But you were happy, the previous conversation forgotten as you smiled at all the jokes. You really had found some great friends.

You realized why Sans had been acting like he had when you finally got to their place two days later. You were going to hang out with Paps today - Sans might be there, might not, as usual - and the place was… Well, the apartments were some that clearly had been build in a hurry. Or renovated from a terrible state. It was hard to say, because the entire building looked like it might fall over.

Walking up the stairs, you smiled and waved at any monsters you passed, getting the same greeting back. You wondered if those smiles were as fake as they seemed to you just as you got to the right door. Taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door, not even having two seconds after that to collect your thoughts before the door was opened. It was Papyrus there, of course.

“HELLO MY FRIEND! READY TO HANG OUT?” He asked as he pulled you into a hug, making you only able to nod in reply with a big smile on your face. Seeing Papyrus always made you smile like this. He was just too cheerful for you _not_ to smile.

Once you were put down again, you walked further into the apartment, looking around. It was a… Well, it was small. Especially thinking of Papyrus’ personality and that him and his brother was both living here. You could only see two doors to the side - not counting the open archway that lead to the kitchen - and you feared that meant him and Sans had to actually share a room in this already small space.

Looking back to Paps you tried to put on your best smile.  ‘Your place is…  ’ You couldn’t make yourself sign it, but it seemed like Paps got the idea because he let out a sigh.

“SANS… TRIED GETTING US A BETTER PLACE… WE HAVE THE MONEY BUT… Not all humans are as nice as you are. There are a lot more who seems to not like us, even though I do not understand how that is.” You were scared to hear Papyrus being so… _quiet._ It just didn’t fit him.

‘No one wants to rent you a place somewhere else?’  You signed softly, your heart breaking as you heard him let out a too quiet laugh.

“We’ve tried to look, even in the area that Undyne and Dr. Alphys lives in but… It seems like there are no free places there… And other places don’t want to take our money…”

You were really cursing your race right now. One thing was that there was a period of time where you’d imagine people needed to adjust to the monsters. That was fine. Not everyone would be willing to help or talk to monsters, that was fine. It was how humans were.

But the fact that they wouldn’t take the money the monsters offered - money that was cleared and good - and the only places that did seem to take them in were these areas that seemed like they weren’t fit for humans living there! Because you were pretty sure you’d seen some questionable spots on the ceiling as you were walking up to get to this place… And you weren’t on the top floor.

“Please don’t worry about us though. Me and my brother will be fine. So, let us just forget about this conversation and go make some spaghetty, all right?” Papyrus really tried to sound cheerful once more, but it just didn’t sound the same, as he headed to the kitchen.

You followed for a few steps before feeling the air shift in the room, turning to see Sans now sitting on the couch, his eye-lights out. That… Was a scary sight to say the least. Besides his ribs moving as he breathed - you guessed that was just a constant for all creatures - he seemed so… Dead, leaning on his knees.

You could hear Papyrus had started cooking already, if the sounds of pots being moved around was any indication, so you decided to check on Sans before heading out to join his brother with cooking.

Sans’ head moved up when you stepped closer and a second later his eye-lights were back. But they looked… Disturbed? Blurred? It was hard to describe, but they weren’t the same as they usually were. You knew that they would get bigger and brighter when he was joking and smaller when Papyrus had startled him a few times, but besides that you never really knew what it all meant. The smile that he forced to his skull was - as plain as day - fake though.

“heya there… how’s it hanging?” He was trying to avoid questions. You had picked up on as much.

‘Sans, are you okay? You look… More exhausted than usual…’  He even seemed to have a bit of a harder time getting your signing translated, because it took longer before he replied.

“eh, just got some things on my mind… so, guess ya finally got to see the place…” He said, waving his hand around to gesture to the apartment around you. He seemed… Less than happy about saying that, looking to the ground. “and before ya ask, we’re fine here. really. just taking a bit longer to find the right place for me ‘n pap ‘s all…”

Goodness, why did he keep saying that? This wasn’t ‘fine’! This place was _not_ suited for living! Even if monsters were different, that didn’t mean they should live under such bad conditions! Thinking over what he’d just said, you slowly smiled even if you were nervous about this… And then you started signing. Once you’d gotten him to stop staring at the ground that is.

‘Sans, I get it. You don’t want you and your brother to burden anyone, right?’  You had to hold up a hand in the universal sign of ‘stop’ as he was about to speak up, only continuing once he would let you ‘speak’.

‘I want to make you a offer… You can think it over before saying anything to it, so please just stay with me while I sign this out okay? This place is a mess. I know you say you’re fine here, but it’s really not. No one should live like this, not humans and not monsters. I can’t offer much, my place is not that much bigger than this, but I still have a extra room. It’s not much, but if it’s to have a place to stay while you find a better place, then you and Papyrus could rent that. You’d get to use the entire apartment, it wouldn’t be so… Well’ Lacking words, you just gestured to the place before you kept going.  ‘It would just be like… Being roommates. And you can pay if you really want to. Help out around the place too. So, just think about it… Okay? ’ 

Man, your wrists were kind of killing you now. You had signed more over the last weeks than you ever had, but that was a long speech you just gave. And, looking at Sans, one you weren’t sure if it got trough or not. His eyes were once more dark, void of any lights. But you just stood there, waiting for him to give you some sort of response.

The quiet in the room seemed so eerie while Sans’ eye lights were out, but you stood your ground. Even as he slowly stood up you didn’t move. You weren’t afraid of him. He was your friend. But you had to admit, that look was scary.

The quiet hung in the air for a good while, before slowly, Sans spoke.

“... ya really would just… open ya house like that? to someone ya don’t know?”

Okay, not what you had expected, but just before you could get to sign out your confusion, he kept going.

“ya barely known us for a month here kiddo... “ Hey! You weren’t a kid! “ya hung out with us, sure… but how can ya just… be so accepting? my brother i get. paps couldn’t hurt a fly. but ya don’t know **me.** ”

Okay, you had no idea his voice could get deeper than it had been before, but now that you knew… You weren’t sure what was going on, but there was a odd feeling in your chest.

“ya don’t know what i do… haven’t talked that much either… ya only know me for my puns ‘n jokes… i could be a monster, a **real** monster. like those stories ya humans seem so fond of…”

Somehow, you knew deep down, that wasn’t the case… Hearing him speaking of himself like that just made you… Want to hug him. That feeling in your chest was still there - the _warmth_ that you’d only experienced a few times while awake - but there was also… Pain. Because of how he was speaking of himself.

‘You’re not like that Sans.’  You signed with no hesitation, the look on your face turning to one of determination. You knew what he was doing now. He was trying to scare you into taking it back.

“how do ya know.” Good, he was still reading your hands.

‘I feel it… Here.’  You said, before pointing to the middle of your chest. You supposed it was over where your heart was, but that just… didn’t seem right. It was something deeper. Something you couldn’t put words to.

The silence grew for a while, neither of you moving, before your eyes widened. Instead of the usual two white pinpricks of light that was his eyes, his left eye filled up with a single light that was shifting between cyan and yellow. It felt like it was glaring straight through you. Something in your head was telling you one thing… Run. It was telling you to get the heck away from here. Fight or flight wanted to kick in, almost as if this was dangerous! But…

That feeling in your chest made you stay still. Made you know that things were all right. That he wouldn’t hurt you.

After a bit, he closed his eye and stepped to the side. When his eyes opened once more, the usual lights were back, though he wasn’t looking at you.

“... i’ll think ‘bout it, all right? no promises here…”

And just like that, he was gone again with a small distortion of the air where he’d been standing before. That was all just so…

Odd.

“HUMAN? ARE YOU GOING TO COME OUT HERE AND HELP ME PREPARE DINNER? IF SO, YOU SHOULD HURRY UP BEFORE I’VE DONE IT ALL MYSELF! NYEHE HEHEHE!”

You turned to the kitchen door, looking over your shoulder for a few moments at where Sans had been, before smiling and walking out to join Papyrus.

It seemed like Sans was going to think it over. Well, if it was time he needed, you’d accept it. You would wait for his answer while not letting him forget about the offer.

You could be... _patient_ like that, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the skell and his brohter was offered a better living place for him and his brother! Wonder how this is going to go? Will he accept it? Or are you not going to live with the skelly? Wait to see!
> 
> I hope you all had a great new year! Mine was good, even if I ended up drinking a bit too much, but it's how it is!  
> Hope none of you got hurt, here's to 2019 being a better year!


	7. Chapter 7: Unpleasant Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as long as the others, but hope you all still enjoy!

Summer had slowly started to dwindle for real the last couple of weeks. The usual sunny weather had turned to rain and clouds, making everything outside wet and cold. Not that it really bothered you that much. You liked the cooler weather of fall to be honest. And the new side of your friends that it had shown.

Sans and Papyrus - who still lived off in those apartments - clearly wasn’t affected by cold in the same manner that the rest of you. “what can i say, the cold just go  _ right through me _ ” was all Sans had to say on that matter, making you giggle while Papyrus seemed to not know weather to be annoyed at the pun or just accept it. Alphys had gone from seeming comfortable one day to… Well, you were sure she was in there behind the scarf and hats she had started wearing. Clearly she liked the warmth a lot more than the wet cold that had settled over everything.

Undyne was… Interesting. While the cold clearly got to her as well - she did dress warmer than before - whenever it rained it seemed like the fish monster forgot all about the cold. You now had tea in the break room of the pet store for whenever Undyne had been jogging in the rain with only her usual jogging gear on - meaning a top and a pair of shorts - and were so soaked that it looked like she had jumped into a stream somewhere or something like that… You could imagine her do that, now that you thought about it.

Because your co-worker had to call in sick, the last few weeks had been going by in a blur as you took the extra shifts at the store, also causing your friends to show up around work to chat a bit with you. It was nice when they came in, mostly because there wasn’t  _ that _ many customers that came in here. And when they did, they went to get what they needed, paid, then headed out once more. No talk, no glances really. It was a bit off-putting.

The only times things were a bit tense these days was when Sans came in together with Papyrus. It wasn’t a heavy aurora, but still, the conversation the two of you had back at their place still hung between the two of you. Sans hadn’t yet shown any signs of having come to a conclusion, though you hadn’t pushed for an answer either.

You had told him he could have time to think it over, so you were giving him it.

You couldn’t help but worry though. You really didn’t think the offer was something too big, but Sans had really been taking his time. Even when making the offer to the skeleton, you’d been scared. Maybe Sans had taken it as a insult? You were pretty sure at this point at least that he was the older brother, with the way he acted about Papyrus when someone seemed like they were mean to him, so maybe you extending a hand like that had been rude. Like a slap to his ego that he couldn’t find somewhere for him and his brother on his own, so you offered your place.

But really, just just didn’t like seeing bright and happy Papyrus in a place like that, nor the thought of any of the skeleton brothers living there. Heck,  _ anyone _ living there was a bad thing really. The place had low ceilings and there was a lot of monsters who were pretty tall, the walls looked like they were paper thin and not well insulated - not a problem yet, it was still only fall after all - and then there was the spots you’d seen when you had been there… There was no way that it was healthy for them living there.

You were thinking all of these things over while you were getting your things from the back, shift just ending. You were so deep in thought in fact that you walked into someone who’d been on their way to walk into the shop. Taking a few steps back, you went to smile apologetically at the person before you felt a chill run down your spine as it felt like everything had turned to ice around you.

Ricky. It was fucking Ricky in front of you.

“Oh hey, missed me that much babe?” His grin looked more like a rattlesnake than an actual smile, making you frown first and then outright glare at him as you shook your head, trying to get around him. But of course, he wasn’t going to let you.

“Oh come on now my little songbird, are you really going to give me that cold shoulder forever? You know you miss me, know you need me… Why don’t you just admit it and let’s get over this silly little thing you have going.”

God you wanted to throw up. You wanted  _ nothing _ to do with Rick at this point, but of course he wasn’t going to take a hint. You’d been avoiding him and had a freaking restraining order on him for goodness sake! So you crossed your arms, giving him your most unimpressed looks and shook your head no once more.

His face went from carefree and happy - god his breath reeked of booze - to a scowl that was more fitting on him.

“You’re one stubborn thing… Where the hell is all of this coming from anyway?! You weren’t such a brat when I was-”

“this guy bothering ya?”

You had never been so happy to hear a friendly voice then at that moment, turning to Sans who had appeared a bit to the side from you and Ricky. His grin looked calm and natural enough, but you could see it. His eyelights were looking a lot more focused, going between you and Rick.

“... The fuck?” Rick looked like he wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was real or not, but then after a bit his face looked like someone had made him eat an entire lemon. “Oh heck no, what the hell is trash like you doing around here?” He almost literally spat at your friend, but Sans just shrugged.

“came ‘round to see if i could catch my  _ friend _ here before she left. was gonna hang with her if she’d be up for it.” He told, sounding bored as he looked over to you. You instantly nodded at him, hoping he got the idea that you were answering both the fact that you wanted to hang out and that Rick here was bothering you.

“Urgh,  _ my _ little  _ songbird _ wouldn’t hang out with something like  **you** .” Rick was pissed, grabbing hold of your arm painfully and forcing a sound of pain from you. “In fact, she’s going with me-”

You’d never heard Rick cut himself off like that, but that’s what he’d done, and you couldn’t really blame him. Sans’ eyes were void of light, his grin stretched so far it was clear it was fake and there was a feeling in the air - Sans’ magic you guessed - that was just outright ominous.

“i think ya should let the lady go now pal… she clearly doesn’t want ya ‘round here. ‘n ya hurting her arm there… don’t wanna cause a scene now, do ya?”

Sans wasn’t doing anything. He was just standing there, looking menacing, but right now if police was to come by you  _ knew _ Ricky would be in trouble. First of all, you had the restraining order against him, meaning that just him being this close to you without touching you would get him in trouble. Second of all, he was very clearly making a bruise on your arm right now, meaning you would have that against him, so he’d be in double the trouble. And there were people around who were looking over, not to mention that you were sure the camera that pointed at the door would have caught everything as well.

Ricky looked between you and Sans for a good long while before letting your arm go, not doing anything to prevent you from walking over next to Sans other than glare death at you. You lowered your head at that, finding the ground below your shoes to be much more interesting.

“Fine… Take the whore away, I don’t care. Fucking filth, hope you enjoy.” He said before instantly turning around, making a few people jump to the sides as he marched off with an air of anger around him.

You didn’t see that though. You were too focused on the ground, one hand over where the bruise was surely slowly forming, trying your best to breathe. He was gone, you were safe, he wasn’t going to hurt you anymore now, you were safe, he couldn’t hurt you anymore, he wasn’t a part of your life-

“hey, you okay there?” Sans gently placed his hand on your shoulder and...

You felt the mask that had been in place to keep Ricky from seeing you weak finally crumble as he disappeared around a corner.

You felt your knees giving up under you, but there was no pain from your knees hitting the ground as you registered a boney arm around your waist as Sans had caught you, and the next moment your head was resting on his shoulder, crying and shaking all over.

“geez, guess that’s a clear no…”

You were relieved that Sans wasn’t pushing you away right now, even more so when you felt a hand rubbing at your back. You needed the comfort right now. Needed the calm that this gave you.

“... hey, wanna hear a joke?”

You didn’t really know what that was about, but you nodded a bit at that, still crying.

“all right… so, a woman walks into a library and asked if they had any books about paranoia. the librarian says ‘they're right behind you’”

Oh dear lord, that was so bad… But still, you felt yourself smile a tiny bit even if tears were still running down your face and onto Sans’ jacket. Geez, you were making a mess.

“my friend says to me: ‘what rhymes with orange’. i said: ‘no it doesn't’.”

You could literally hear the grin on his face, he was so proud of these jokes, and damn it you were shaking from silent laughter. Bad jokes really were your thing and Sans was just full of them. You really appreciated that right now, feeling warm instead of about to have a panic attack.

“i couldn't figure out why the baseball kept getting larger. then it hit me.”

Yeah you lost it.

You were laughing silently, still holding onto Sans and using him to keep standing, but then again he was also holding onto you so you guessed it was fine. Once you pulled back, standing on your own you could see the pride on Sans’ face over having made you laugh.

“ya feeling better there bud?” He asked and you nodded. You did really feel better.

“glad to hear… how ‘bout we head off from here? wasn’t kidding when i said i wanted to hang, if ya up for it that is…”

Thinking this over for a bit, the thought of being alone right after having run into Ricky - literally - was not one you liked and made the panic that had been dimmed in your chest flare up again, yeah no that wasn’t good. Going somewhere with Sans who was a dear friend at this point? Yeah that sounded a lot better. It would also mean that if you had a anxiety attack, he’d be there to calm you down… You hoped at least. So you nodded to him, doing your best to give him a smile.

“great. know a place ‘m sure ya would love. place is great, ‘n free of uncomfortable people.” He told you as he started to walk off in the other direction from where Rick had headed and you followed, giving him a questioning look. Your hands were shaking too badly to sign.

“heh, ya wanna know where we’re going?” He asked, almost reading your mind and you nodded.

“grillbys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm re-doing some chapters, I'm not sure if the next chapter will be out on time for next week, but I'll do my best!  
> There's just some things going on IRL that's making it hard on me to write out the chapters, so hope you all understand!


	8. Chapter 8: Grillby's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So, I am doing a bit better now! So here's the chapter from last week a bit before time! Hope you enjoy some light times at Grillbys!

It took a bit before you reached the place Sans was taking you to, but once you got there you couldn't help but smile at the front of the quaint little place. It was a simple brick building with a sign over it clearly saying 'Grillby's'. Sans held the door for you as you headed in, looking to either sides to take it all in. The place was warm, monsters and a few humans were talking between each other, some in booths and others – like a group of dogs that was playing poker – at tables in the middle of the place.

At the back was a bar with the wall covered in bottles of different liquors, more than you could ever get your head around. All in all, the place just seemed so comfortable. Once the monsters noticed Sans, most of them seemed to know him enough to send a greeting his way. You watched him greet the people who did so, sending a few puns and jokes their way and you couldn't help but smile at it. He seemed so at ease here, between people he was comfortable with. You wondered if you were among those? Well, he'd been comfortable enough – in his sleep – to use you as a teddy bear, so that had to count for something... Right?

You followed him as he walked to sit at the bar, taking the seat next to him while still trying to calm the last of your nerves down so you'd stop shaking. Even after walking for a good while, the meeting with Ricky was still in the back of your mind making you uneasy.

“ya hungry? hope ya are, 'cause ya need to try grillbs food.”

You were pulled out of your head as Sans spoke up, blinking surprised before thinking it over. Yeah, you could eat for sure, so you nodded your head. You still weren’t sure if you could sign anything, not yet, but you hoped you’d calm down enough soon so you could. Because in the back of your mind, you couldn’t help but believe Sans was getting tired of the one-way conversation. Just like everyone else seemed to.

“great, ya gonna love it, trust me.” He told you, his eyes turning to someone else behind you. Turning around, you met the… Well, where his eye would be of the bartender that had just come out from back where the kitchen had to be.

A fire elemental.

A living, breathing flame.

That’s what was standing back there with the lines and lines of flammable liquids.

Your mind returned to you when you could hear Sans snicker behind you as the elemental - you guessed this was Grillby - came over to the two of you, his flames moving in what you would guess was his version of a raised eyebrow at the skeleton.

“sorry ‘bout that grillbz, should have told her before. guess ya just a bit too _hot_ to handle.”

Oh dear lord, no, this was it. You poked him on the arm to get his attention.

‘Sans, really, do you have to do that?’  You signed, happy that the fact that you were both amused and a bit annoyed on behalf of the elemental had made your hands steady. And it must have been showing on your face, if how Sans’ eyes were shining was any indication.

“come on, ya love my jokes. nothing better to _spark_ a conversation. ‘s long as things doesn’t get _heated_ , grillbz doesn’t mind, right pal?” Dear lord, Sans couldn’t have a bigger grin on his face right now.

Grillby shook his head a bit, somehow looking amused as well, before looking to you and - to your surprise - quickly signed out.

**‘Do not worry. I have dealt with his jokes for some years now. They do not bother me.’**

Well, that was something. Did all monsters understand sign language? A lot of them seemed to at least - your friend group at least did - so maybe it wasn’t too odd for monsters to come across someone who didn’t speak.

“come on grillbz, ya enjoy them as well.” Sans spoke up, having clearly followed along with what he had been signing. Sound of popping firewood and other very low sounds came from Grillby as he looked over to Sans. “yeah, yeah, got it pal…” Wait, had he been speaking?! You were confused.

“anyway.” His eyes turned to you. “ya want a burger, fries or both?” Thinking it over, you smiled and signed  ‘Both, and a soda please’  before Sans put in his own order, both of you watching as the bartender walked off to get your order.

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a bit, listening to the others in the bar chat away and just enjoying the warmth of the place - you slightly wondered if that was from Grillby being a literal flame or if he kept it around this temperature to keep himself healthy - but of course, the calm silence couldn’t keep up.

“so… ya wanna talk ‘bout who that was back there?”

You let out a sigh, knowing that he’d ask. You thought about it for a good long while, not really sure if you should or not. There was a lot of bad memories there, lot of things you wish you could have avoided… But there was something telling you to be honest with Sans. And while you really couldn’t open up all the way - not yet - maybe you could tell him a few things.

‘That was Ricky’  You made sure to spell out his name for Sans before continuing,  ‘He is my ex-boyfriend. We had a thing a while back, but he… Wasn’t a nice person. He never really was I suppose, but it took a while and… Something else, before I realized. He’s the reason I’m mute.’ 

You really hoped he wasn’t going to ask, having looked at the top of the bar instead of Sans during all of that and only now looking up to him, surprised to find him looking at the top of the bar as well and frowning. It was so odd, seeing the area between where his eyebrows would be if he was humans bunched up like that and making small folds. He was quiet for a while so you gently reached out, laying a hand on his arm and giving him a questioning look when he looked over to you.

“sorry… it just… suddenly make sense… uh, why ya soul looks so… well…”

Now you were confused.  ‘My soul? Is something wrong with it?’ 

You had stumbled over threads online about souls while trying to update yourself on the situation with monsters in your breaks at work… Meaning you’d come across a whole lot of sites and blogs about people who were either happy or angry over the whole fact about monsters coming up here and telling that SOULS were a certain thing for all living creatures. You hadn’t really read too many facts though, it was almost as if there _wasn’t_ anything about souls out to the public yet other than the fact that they were there.

“nothing wrong with it. but well… ya soul reflects who ya are of course, also means things that happens to ya leave scars and cracks... “ Oh. Yeah okay, that made sense.

‘So Rick hurt me bad enough to leave cracks on my soul?’ God he really was a slimy bastard.

“well, can’t really tell what exactly did the cracks, but if he really treated ya bad, would explain it.” Sans said, shrugging a bit. There was something he wasn’t saying, but you weren’t sure how to ask about it.

Just then, Grillby returned with the food and your soda, placing it in front of the two of you… Along with a whole bottle of ketchup in front of Sans. You raised an eyebrow at that, not sure what to make of it, but decided to ignore it and instead smiled at Grillby.

‘This looks and smells great!’  You said, watching as his flames seemed to.. Brighten? Well that was interesting.

“try it out. ya gonna be surprised.”

You really weren’t sure what to make of that but mentally shrugged it away for now, picking up the burger. Man, it _really_ looked good. Taking a bite, your face lit up with pure enjoyment. It was good! Really good in fact. It was cooked perfectly and there was something else… The taste seemed to be enhanced somehow and there was a slight tingly sensation in your mouth. Swallowing the bite you quickly realized it never seemed to reach your stomach before it disappeared.

What in the... ?!

“grillbz mix magic into them. they’re fusion cuisine.” Oh, well that explained it.

‘It’s really good! And that was so interesting!’  You couldn’t help but sign out, feeling giddy.

Grillby’s flames cracked as his shoulders shook a bit - his version of laughter perhaps? - before he signed to you. **‘I am glad you like it. Please enjoy the meal’** You quickly nodded to him before his attention was drawn to some other customers.

“told ya ye’d be surprised.” Sans’ grin was impossibly wider, something you couldn’t help but chuckle a bit over.

‘Well, you were right. This is amazing.’ You told him before taking the burger back up and biting into it once more.

The two of you ate in relative silence for a good while after that, only stopped for a moment when you had just stared at Sans after he’d literally taken the ketchup bottle and drank from it, making you fumble over your hands to try and ask him what the hell that was about but it was hard when you were so confused… and angry at him laughing as hard as he was.

You asked him a few questions when you could and by the time your food was gone you were sitting and laughing as Sans was telling you jokes along with a few stories from the underground after you asked him to tell you more. He had been a bit hesitant at first, but you knew how to get him. So, having asked about Papyrus had gotten him started and at the moment he was talking about a thing that had happened… And it included Frisk.

“... so, he’d borrowed this machine from alph. set it up ‘n everything, really looking forward to showing it off to the kid. he goes on this long explanation about the thing, frisk is looking more ‘n more nervous, then he flips the switch. i was sure the kid was going to take ages as well, but i just kept looking calm and then… it’s just one color. the thing literally made a path so the kiddo could just walk across. paps was so frustrated with it that he just spun around a few times and then was gone. kid loved it tho.”

You shook your head a bit, smiling. That really sounded like a clishé movie thing, thinking about it happening in real life was so weird… and you were feeling bad for Papyrus, seeing how happy he’d been about it.

You were surprised when Grillby came over, his flames cracking (Sans had explained that he spoke ‘firespeak’, an old language that only monsters could understand) and holding out a phone for Sans.

“paps calling? oh boy, what now?”

Sans took the offered phone and held it up to his skull, smiling. “heya paps, what’s up?” He asked, jumping down from the chair to walk a bit away to speak with his brother in private.

‘Everything okay?’ You signed at Grillby who had been looking towards the skeleton until then and you had a weird feeling about it all.

**‘I am not sure to be honest… I have never heard Papyrus that quiet before and I am sure that it is not a good thing-’** He was interrupted - the whole bar going quiet - at a sudden outburst from Sans

“WHAT?!”

That was louder than you had ever heard him - you hadn’t been sure he was even able to be that loud to be fair - and now you were worried. Glancing to Grillby you jumped down from the seat and walked over to meet Sans as he came back over towards the bar.

“hang on bro, i’ll be right there.” He said, ending the call and placing the phone on the bar.

“have to go, grillbz, just… put it on my tab, don’t worry i’ll pay it later.”

You tried to sign to him to ask about what was going on, but he wasn’t looking towards you, heading for the door. Taking a deep breath you hurried over to Sans and took a hold of his arm before he reached the door, using one hand to sign even if it was awkward. You just needed to make sure Sans didn’t run off.

‘Sans, what is going on? What did Papyrus call you about?’ 

You weren’t sure if it just took him longer to translate because of you using one hand or if he was thinking about weather to tell you or not, but after a bit he looked you in the eyes, a weird look in his eyes.

“guess ya should come along… hold on tight.”

You didn’t get to ask him what he meant before he’d pulled an arm around your waist, everything going dark around you for a moment before…

You registered the heat before the shouts, screams and other sounds reached your ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Oh, and did I mention the cliffhanger? Whoops! Sorry about that!  
> Hey, at least there's only two days until you get to read more, so ehehe?  
> I hope you like it! Don't worry, I'm still taking my time and letting IRL stuff be more important, but I love working on this fic, so yeah ^^


	9. Chapter 9: Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not quite as happy with this chapter, but I don't know how to change it. Oh well.

Fire trucks were placed around to try and get the fires under control, monsters were standing around - some of them looking lost and others screaming - as the building that barely had been able to be called an apartment building was standing in flames, the upper levels clearly lost already.

Your eyes were wide, staring at the sight in front of you, before remembering why you were here. Looking to Sans he was scanning the crowd and perhaps feeling the look on the side of his skull spoke up.

“paps was coming home from shopping. he should be here somewhere.” He said quickly, you nodded and looked around trying to spot the other skeleton. It took a bit before you saw him but once you spotted him he was sticking out quite a bit. He was sitting on the ground helping a bunny monster calm down some of all her children who were crying. Getting Sans attention, you barely reached to point out the taller skeleton to him before he disappears from your sight. Once you looked over, he was already next to his brother. Right, there was something to ask about later. For now, you rushed over to the two of them, having to carefully step around some of all the children who were running about.

“-and I don’t know if anything has survived.” You caught the end of the conversation, not really sure what they had been talking about. But your heart was breaking at the fact that Papyrus once more was speaking at a more normal volume. Hearing the normally boysterous skeleton so quiet wasn’t right.

“‘s fine bro, they can be replaced. would more worry if ya got hurt.” Sans said, letting out a sigh before looking to the building.

“Such a terrible thing… I just don’t understand what some humans have against us!” It was a pink bunny - your best guess was the mother of at least _some_ of these - who were looking at the fires.

“think they’re scared. think they own everything..” Sans mumbled, but the bunny must have heard anyway because she let out a huff of air. She turned and finally noticed you, jumping a bit before looking unsure.

‘I’m sorry about all of this… It must be hard on you.’  You quickly signed out, not sure what else to tell her. The confused look on her face made you worry though, didn’t she understand what you’d said? Well you supposed you’d have to meet someone who wouldn’t know sign language at some point.

“ya don’t have anything ta say sorry ‘bout.” Sans told you, telling the bunny what you’d signed after when she looked to the smaller skeleton for explanation. Once she got what you were saying she looked surprised before turning to you once more.

“Goodness, you haven’t done anything! There is no need to be apologizing over it! I wouldn’t pin every bad action taken by _some_ humans to all of them!” She quickly told you, making you smile.

‘I’m glad to hear that. We’re not all terrible. I would hate it if you couldn’t talk to humans just because of a few rotten eggs.’  You were glad that Sans had taken up the job of explaining what you were saying.

“Oh don’t worry about that dearie, I wouldn’t dream of doing something like that, even if it all is… Very hard on us.”

You would have said something more, but one of the bunny kids fell over and started crying. The one you’d been talking to already had her arms full, same for Paps and Sans looked like he wasn’t sure how to handle it, so you carefully kneeled down and pulled them close.

They were surprised first, then noticed that you were rubbing their back and comforting them and decided they could continue to be sad over their scraped knee and leaned on you.

“Well by Asgore’s beard, that’s something… Coco doesn’t really like strangers. You’re really something.” She tell you, smiling. You couldn’t help but blush a bit while holding the little bunny, letting them cry it out.

After a bit everything was a bit of a blur. The firefighters still working on getting the fire under control even if the building clearly isn’t to be saved anymore, police have also appeared to try and get the situation under control, asking any monsters who’s willing to speak with them about what happened. The bunny family had calmed down and was picked up by someone else - apparently they had family who owned a house so they were going to stay with them until things were under control. So you were standing with the skeleton brothers as a police officer was asking them about what they knew.

Papyrus had been the one to answer all the questions as Sans had quickly told he hadn’t been here and only arrived because his brother called him. You had been staring at the building while all of this was going on, feeling sad for all the monsters. Not to mention scared about this. It had been an attack from a new group of humans who thought monsters didn’t deserve to live up here and should be placed back underground and clearly they weren’t afraid of using any method to get the attention they wanted. You just hoped no monsters had been hurt… You had heard there was some missing.

“What about you miss?”

You were surprised to hear the officer address you, making you give him a confused look.

“You know anything about what happened here or-”

“she was with me. came here with me when paps called. know i shouldn’t answer for her, but well… ya know sign language?”

The officer looked surprised, looking back to you once the words registered. You made a couple of quick motions, telling you were mute, but he clearly didn’t understand so you forced a bit of air out of your throat that would have been a ‘hi’ if not for the fact that your vocal cords wouldn’t work. Both the officer and the skeleton brothers looked uncomfortable at the sound, the officer because it sounded uncomfortable and the brothers because they clearly didn’t like that you were trying to force it.

“Oh, I see… Well then, is what the monster saying the truth?” You could see there was no hostility in his eyes, so you nodded, glad that he was now going to ‘yes/no’ questions.

“I see. So you have no additional knowledge to add that might help in our investigation?” You shook your head once more, surprised. Getting Sans’ attention, you quickly signed and hoped he’d be okay with asking for you.

“... she’s asking if ya really going to be taking this seriously.” Good, he hadn’t gotten tired of that yet. You really needed to do something big for him later you told yourself before looking to the officer.

“It’s not only monsters in the area.” The officer says, gesturing to the houses close by. “The fire was way out of control and could have spread to more than just the apartments. Besides that, the building was government property. So yes, we will be doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this miss.”

Well, that left a sour taste in your mouth. So they were only here because of the humans that might have been in danger along with the fact that this would cost money for some humans and they were unhappy with that. Figures.

“All right, well with that out of the way… You two lived here, am I correct?” The officer was back to talking to Sans and Papyrus, but the subject was making you listen closely, looking at Sans. “It’s safe to say you won’t be able to live here anymore. I’m guessing you have friends you can go live with?”

“yea… we got more than one place who’ll take us in.” Sans says without hesitation.

“Good, I was just making sure. We are making a list of monsters who doesn’t have anywhere to go so we can find housing for them. Well then, I will have to move on.” The officer tells him, walking off.

Once he’s out of earshot, Papyrus looks to his brother. “Should I call Undyne and ask them first? I am very sure her and doctor Alphys would love to have us.”

“well, actually bro… uh… there’s someplace else first that uh… we could go…”

Sans looked a bit uncomfortable, looking over to you. Oh, perhaps he wasn’t sure if the offer still stood? Well then!

‘Sans, I meant it when I said it. I’ve been waiting to hear what you thought. And now with all of this-’  you gestured to the still flaming building, but it was much more controlled now and would be out soon you suspected,  ‘- then I would be more than happy to let the two of you live with me for as long as you need. You can pay if you really want to, but I would feel bad asking for any rent when you lost your place.’ 

Papyrus, having been reading along with Sans, turned to glare at the top of his brothers head who was looking like he was trying to do as a turtle and pull his head into his jacket to avoid the gaze.

“SANS… WHY DOES OUR FRIEND MAKE IT SOUND LIKE THIS HAS BEEN AN OPTION FOR A WHILE?”

“uh… ‘cause it has?”

“... SANS! WHY DIDN’T YOU SPEAK TO ME ABOUT THIS! I KNOW YOU DIDN’T LIKE LIVING THERE JUST AS MUCH AS I DID, AND SHE HAS A NICE HOME!”

“come on bro… ya know why…”

There was something unspoken between the two of them, something you had a feeling would take a good long while before you knew anything about, before Papyrus looked to you.

“GOOD FRIEND, IF YOU REALLY MEAN IT, ME AND MY BROTHER WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO TAKE YOU UP ON THAT OFFER! AND SEEING THAT SANS CLEARLY HAS BEEN MAKING YOU WAIT FOR AN ANSWER, HOW ABOUT I MAKE IT UP TO YOU BY COOKING DINNER FOR US ALL TONIGHT?”

God you had forgotten how great it was to hear Papyrus at his usual volume. There was a few human officers who were looking over towards you all but the monsters close by just giggled before continuing on like nothing was wrong.

‘Well if you insist Papyrus, you can. But really, I would be a horrible friend if I didn’t offer you to stay. Besides, I have the extra room. It’s not more than what you had before but-’ 

“DO NOT THINK ABOUT THAT FRIEND! WE… We would be more than fine with it. Besides, your home is much nicer than ours was.” God, he really looked down at that. You would have said more, but Papyrus picked Sans up under one arm - said skeleton didn’t fight it and shrugged when you caught his eye - and hooked his other in yours as he started walking off towards where your apartment was.

“NOW, LET US BE OFF SO I CAN COOK US SOME SPAGHETTI AND THEN WE CAN WATCH A MOVIE AS WELL! WE WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME, NOT THINKING OF BAD THING!” Papyrus declared and well…

You weren’t going to argue with that logic.

~*~*~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

The following weeks was… Something else.

One thing was that now, Papyrus would be there every morning having cooked breakfast for you and them - if it wasn’t because you’d seen him sleep on more than one occasion - you would have thought the taller skeleton never did so.

Sans was there too of course, but not as much. Just like before, he was scares. He’d either be at work, be out or he’d be sitting with your laptop (you had made sure they both knew they could use it as well) at first to talk things over with the insurance people who were giving him trouble - you feared it was just because he was a monster - but after that you had seen more than once that he was looking over housings for him and Paps.

You knew it was because Sans didn’t want to be a burden on you that he was looking as hard as he was for somewhere else for them, but you more than once told him he didn’t need to rush with it. He just waved the comment off, making you get Paps to have him take a break and really relax. One thing that had come out of living with the brothers had been you being able to see the dark circles under Sans’ eyes get wider and deeper. You hadn’t known skeletons could have bags under their eyes but welp, there they were.

Other than that, things had been rather normal. The rest of your friends - Undyne, Alphys and even Frisk and Toriel - had been by to make sure the brothers were all right the first few days after they’d told everyone about it. Meeting Toriel officially had been something else. The woman was taller than Papyrus but a lot softer and she just screamed motherly, making you feel like a kid once more wanting to curl up and sit on your mother’s lap. And of course they all also came around to your place more both to hang out with you but also to hang out with the brothers. The apartment had never felt so alive.

You’d been following along with the news a lot closer now after the fire, not wanting to be in the dark about everything once more. A few more attacks had happened on the few monster-run places but nothing as big as the fire. Even Grillby had a bit of an incident where some people had come in by throwing bricks through the windows and tried to throw water at the bartender. Sans was the one to calm you down and tell you that - while he’d been hit on the leg - Grillby had managed to get away before any real damage had been done. And the canine unit had been there that day, they made sure things didn’t go too wrong.

Today was your day off for once. Sans was off goodness know where and Papyrus was with Undyne. Something about special training. You had been too tired to think too much over it, just happy to have a day where you could just be yourself for once.

The TV was running, the host speaking about the anti-monster organisation that had been leaving messages all over the city and what everything with that might entail when there was a knock at the door. That was… Not expected. Kate was working you knew, so there really wasn’t anyone who could be there.

Walking over to the door you looked out the peephole and felt your blood turn to ice.

“I know you’re in there whore, open up the fucking door!”

Why the fuck was Ricky here?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! And also hope that you all are happy you didn't have to wait too long after that first cliffhanger!  
> But well, now we have a new one! Why is Ricky at the front door? And what's going to happen, seeing that no one  
> else is home?  
> Find out next chapter!


	10. Authors Note!

Hello everyone!

Sorry that it's been so quiet from my side for a good while now, I didn't mean to leave this story so alone after that last chapter, but real life has a way of sneaking in on me. I've been dealing with the fact that I've learned at the age of 23 that I've got autism, dealing with backlash of that, dealing with living under the same roof as someone who things that my autism and self harm (scratching when I get frustrated enough to the point of wounds and scars) is just me being lazy and then now I've had to deal with threats of being thrown out. So I'm curently going to be moving away from here, my dad has offered me to go live there with him, so I'll have a better place where I can at least explain myself **and be heard.**

Because of this, I don't know when I'll pick up the story again, but I'm going to. I just need to be at a better place mentally to keep this story going. I might write on other things and post them, but this story is officially going to be on hiatus. if, **if** , I do end up writing on it I'll add the chapter on here, but don't count on it.

I hope you all understand. If you want to, you can write to me! I've got a few pages I check up on!

Tumblr: https://shadowbluehusky.tumblr.com/

Deviantart: https://shadowbluehusky.deviantart.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShadowBlueHusky

Until I feel I can continue the story, I hope you're all doing well and take care of yourselves okay? I hope you're all understanding where I'm coming from!

~Shadow


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